CarlosAlexis Cruz, assistant professor of theatre, has been awarded a Global Connections "In the Lab" grant from the Theatre Communications Group (TCG). The $10,000 award will support a residency in Mexico City, where Cruz will continue his collaboration with Alicia Martinez-Alvarez and Laboratorio de La Máscara to develop his show, Pícaro. Inspired by the real-life challenges of Central American immigrants and incorporating elements of contemporary circus arts, physical comedy, masks, magic, and music, Pícaro follows the tricks and trials of a 13-year-old Guatemalan boy as he travels through Mexico in search of a better life. Pícaro will premiere this February at Children's Theatre of Charlotte.

In the spring of 2018, Cruz was in residency at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, funded by a grant from the Princess Grace Foundation, where he further developed the Pícaro project. You can watch a video about that work here: